The annals of history are littered with horribly bad military leaders. These combat incompetents found amazing ways to ensure their army's defeat. Whether it was a lack of proper planning, miscalculations, ego, bad luck, or just plain stupidity, certain wartime stratagems should never have left the drawing board. Written with wit, intelligence, and eminent readability, "How to Lose a Battle" pays dubious homage to these momentous and bloody blunders. "How to Lose a Battle" includes more than thirty-five chapters worth of astonishing (and avoidable) disasters and jaw-dropping facts about the most costly military missteps ever taken.

It is said that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. And so we have. Time and again humankind has overcome great turmoil only to ignore hard-earned wisdom at the very worst moment. Borrowing more from "Groundhog Day" than D-day, Bill Fawcett illuminates some of the predicaments, both infamous and obscure, that have vexed us for centuries- and just may explain many of today's global conflicts. Through fourteen chapters, "Doomed to Repeat" is chock-full of trivia, historical oddities, and fascinating insights into our most popular mistakes.

From the days of the Spanish Armada to the modern age of aircraft carriers, battles have been bungled just as badly on water as they have been on land. Some blunders were the result of insufficient planning, over inflated egos, espionage, or miscalculations; others were caused by ideas that didn't hold water in the first place. In glorious detail, here are thirty-three of history's worst maritime mishaps. Chock-full of amazing facts and hilarious trivia, How to Lose a War at Sea is the most complete volume of nautical failures ever assembled.

From the Crusades to the modern age of chemical warfare and smart bombs, history is littered with truly disastrous military campaigns. "How to Lose a War" chronicles some of the most remarkable strategic catastrophes and doomed military adventures of overreaching invaders and clueless defenders-whether the failure was a result of poor planning, miscalculations, monumental ego, or failed intelligence... or just a really stupid idea to begin with.

For four years in the middle of the nineteenth century, brother fought brother on American soil. No American war ever had higher stakes than, or changed a nation as profoundly as, the terrible conflict between the Union and the Confederacy. A dark historical panorama populated by a remarkable cast of colorful characters, the War Between the States was indelibly marked by both brilliant military maneuvers and mind boggling battlefield blunders that gravely threatened the continuation of the American Experiment. With suitable irreverence, Bill Fawcett chronicles the unbelievably disastrous decisions made by both sides in this monumental clash.

From the Maginot Line to the Bay or Pigs invasion, history is filled with bad moves and not-so-bright ideas that snowballed into disasters and unintended consequences. This engrossing book looks at one hundred such tipping points. Japan bombs Pearl Harbor. Rome farms out its fighting to barbarians. The Aztecs greet the conquistadors with open arms. And the rest is history...

Never had there been a war on the scale of World War II-a global conflict so widespread and involving so many different military organizations from such a diverse pool of combatant countries that the consequences of every decision, both the brilliant and the bad, were multiplied on hundredfold. Bill Fawcett, popular chronicler of monumental military mistakes and truly boneheaded battlefield blunders, now looks closely at the historic errors that ultimately determined the course of post- WWII history.

"As SEALs, we didn't operate with that mentality, and taking the fight to the enemy was our bread and butter. Drew and Westie were fun to work with and the Nungs they led were real fighters, but Chau Doc had taken a pasting during Tet. The fuel farm was a smoking ruin and the hospital had shot to s**t as well. It wasn't like there was any way of saving grace anymore-we had been hit and hit hard. " - Commander Richard Marcinko, leader of SEAL Team TWO and author of the best-seller "Rogue Warrior"

Every phenomenally bad idea seemed like a good idea to someone. How else can you explain the Ford Edsel or the sword pistol - absolutely absurd creations that should have never mad it off the drawing board? IT LOOKED GOOD ON PAPER gathers together the most flawed plans, half-baked ideas, and downright ridiculous machines throughout history that some second-rate Einstein decided to foist on an unsuspecting populace with the best and most optimistic intentions. Some failed spectacularly. Others fizzled after great expense. But every one of them at one time must have looked good on paper.

Throughout the annals of history, the best intentions-and sometimes the worst-have set in motion events with a vastly different outcome than originally intended. In this entertaining, fact-filled chronicle, William Forstchen and Bill Fawcett explore the watersheds of history that began as the best ideas and ended as the worst fiascoes.

Offering a fresh perspective-the point of view of the average soldier-the authors in this collection bring to vivid life many of history's most momentous battles from Waterloo to Gettysburg to D-Day. Told through that voices of soldiers on the front lines, these thrilling accounts of engagements that changed the course of world history provide a fascinating depiction of military strategy in action-on the field of battle.

Every four years Americans go to the polls to elect a leader-a personage of unimpeachable sobriety and moral standing who will serve as a paragon for the rest of us. But truth be told, presidents and their families are people too-whit quirks and character flaws like everyone else....and plenty of skeletons rattling around in their closets. "Oval Office Oddities" is a grand compendium of fascinating, sometimes embarrassing presidential facts, gaffes, and oddball behaviors-available in plenty of time for Election Day!

As he did in "100 Mistakes That Changed History", Bill Fawcett proves in "Trust Me, I Know What I'm Doing" that when global leaders drop the ball, the whole world shakes. With a hundred more bombshell blunders-from Pickett's Charge to the Lewinsky scandal-this compendium takes a fascinating look at some of history's greatest turns for the worse.

Throughout history, the rich and powerful, and even just the dim-witted, have made horrifically bad decisions that have had resounding effects on our world. From kings to corporate leaders, from captains to presidents, no one is immune to bad decisions and their lasting legacy. The fiascoes that litter our history are innumerable.... and fascinating in their foolishness. This witty collection of historical mayhem chronicles unwise decisions from ancient Greece to modern-day Hollywood and everything in between.

Throughout history- from the dawn of man to the War on Terror- governments, corporations, historians, and high-level braggarts of every stripe have freely engaged in the time-honored pastime of lying for fun and profit. You Said What? is an endlessly entertaining and outrageously edifying look at some of the biggest whoppers of all time, chock-full of deceptions, trickery, and incredible untruths both infamous and obscure.

Mistakes in History

In these books you have the story of some of the world’s most powerful people making absolutely horrible decisions and obvious mistakes. Any good cynic will immediately ask how to narrow the choices down. Certainly there were a lot of mistakes to choose from. Those included here are some off the most interesting and outrageous errors that generals. kings, and presidents have made. Some dramatically changed everything. some are fun to read about , and many will make you make you marvel that they happened at all. These mistakes, bad decisions, and the occasional scandal all affect how you live your life today. When we look at the past, it becomes obvious that the march of history is often a stumble. How you live , work, and love today are as much the result of their mistakes as some brilliant plans or and inspired leader’s guidance. Take a good look around, and the read the headlines. Really, did you think things got this way on purpose?